Swanchetan is a non-profit, secular and apolitical organization that provides emotional support to survivors of violence, abuse and trauma. We strive to support the survivors at all stages of trauma and continue to support till they are able to take charge of their lives.

Swanchetan stands for the dignity and rights of all survivors to find their voice and express their pain, anguish and suffering caused by the perpetrators whether they are individual or state sponsored. Swanchetan works towards providing humane care and support to survivors with which they could rise above their predicament.

Swanchetan believes that mental health should reach out to the survivors rather than expect survivors to reach out to us. In this we recognize access to timely mental health as a basic right and aspiration of every human being.

Our work began ten years ago when we witnessed a family at a police station unable to hold their grief because their child had been murdered. Timely grief counseling helped them to give a coherent account of the events, take charge of their lives and helped in the identification of the offender.

Since then Swanchetan has come a long way and in the past ten years has provided trauma counseling to nearly eight thousand survivors and their families. They have been victims of or witness to trauma ranging from sexual assault, child abuse, relationship violence, trafficking, ethnic violence and terrorism.

In the last ten years Swanchetan has witnessed a growth that is many fold and continues to evolve along directions that will support the quest for justice and safety for many. From a small organization dealing with only two people in the first month it has expanded to more than a thousand survivors per year in ten years. Currently we have been working across many states of India and have documented the testimonies and the inner lives of many survivors.

Swanchetan is creating an extensive data base and documentation that will map the depth of experiences of survivors, their uniqueness wherever applies which will lead to an evidence based framework and policy. People in and associated with Swanchetan work selflessly giving their time, effort and resources to carry out our cause. Many of them choose to stay anonymous and we thank all of them for showing that they care.

At Swanchetan we work in active partnership with law enforcement, human rights organizations, conscientious citizens and non profit organizations from across the country. In this we are assisted by grants from national and international foundations in carrying out our mission. We work with professionals from different disciplines like law, mental health, management and grassroots activists keeping in mind the needs of the survivor.

We foresee a society in which individuals, communities and key stakeholders will support and embrace a set of core ideals whereby persons undergoing violence, torture and victimization would be provided with humane care at the earliest to help them heal. We seek to create policies that are supportive of survivors and which would bring about long lasting changes in the values and attitudes in society towards them.

We at Swanchetan believe that the marginalized, the oppressed and the traumatized populations have a inner life that needs to be understood and documented for us to really progress as a society.

If you know anyone who needs our services don’t hesitate to contact us.